The objective of this lesson: to remind us that godly people have moments of weakness.
Few things are so disheartening to devout, dedicated Christians as failing after having made an earnest spiritual effort. Many Christians by nature are known as "fixers." They want to eliminate the "unnecessary" by opening eyes, increasing understanding, and attuning hearts to God.
Try to distinguish between the desire to improve matters where one can and the desire to fix. The desire to improve is the desire to make things better in an understanding that not everyone will seek improvement. It also recognizes that "my better" may not address the whole problem. When some things get better, other things may get worse. The desire to fix often is: (1) A passionate commitment to influence others to "see the entire situation as I do." (2) An equal commitment to influence others to adopt "my solution" to the whole situation. (3) The desire to make things be "just as I think they should be." Many times a desire to fix approaches "the end justifies the means" mentality.
Consider some examples. (1) People close to them have not seen or responded to God's gift in Christ. That is such an unnecessary circumstance! They yearn to fix it. (2) There is so much marital distress all around them--spouses together but no relationship, abuse, affairs, selfish neglect, divorce, etc. All this is so destructive! These Christians yearn to fix it. (3) There is so much economic distress around these Christians. That unnecessary distress is passed from generation to generation! They yearn to fix it. (4) The congregation is out of step with God's purposes. Things would be so improved if the converted better understood God's purposes! They yearn to fix it.
Let the students cite other examples as they wish.
This does not at all suggest that the human desire to address spiritual needs in a godly manner is evil. Problems are created when: (1) Christians decide God's involvement is limited to what they see; or, (2) they decide that the results they desire are the only results that achieve God's purposes; or, (3) they assume responsibility that is beyond them; or, (4) they assume God has failed because they have failed.
Focus on the problems created. God sees more than we see. God works even in what we regard to be adversity. Because things are not going as I want does not mean God is inactive.
Consider a statement attributed to Jesus in John 3:19, 20:This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed" (John 3:19,20).
Note these things: (1) Some people love darkness. (2) Some people take delight in the fact that their deeds are evil. (3) Some people hate light. (4) Some people do not want the light to expose their deeds. There are people who have no desire to be godly! Nothing any Christian does or says will create that desire! While Christians rarely will know who those people are prior to seeking to encourage them, we should not be surprised when people have no interest in the God we cherish.
There are people who do not wish to be spiritual and refuse to consider spirituality in a personal context. Such people who rebel against the influence of God in their lives have no desire to see themselves for who they are. It takes a great deal of courage, even in godly people, to be willing to see flaws and honestly address them.
Elijah, one of God's greatest non-writing prophets, served God in the northern ten tribes of Israel. These were the people who followed Jeroboam into idolatry.
There is no record of Elijah producing written scripture. Not all prophets of God wrote. Though Elijah did not produce written scripture, Jews considered Elijah as the symbol of God's prophets. Consider Matthew 17:3.
"Jeroboam said in his heart, 'Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.' So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, 'It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.' He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan" (1 Kings 12:26-29).
Elijah served in alien territory. He assumed he was the only person faithful to God in the territory of the ten tribes (1 Kings 19:10). He yearned to "fix" Northern Israel so they again worshipped/served the living God of the ancient forefathers instead of idols. In fact, he thought he had "fixed" the situation in his contest with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. God's sacrifice was consumed, the prophets of Baal were killed, the people fell on their faces and confessed that the Lord was God, and it rained.
Discuss how living in Elijah's circumstances would intensify his desire to fix the situation. Discuss how he would think the triumph of God over idolatry would turn the situation around.
However, nothing changed! When Queen Jezebel sent him a message saying he would be dead in 24 hours, he was afraid and ran for his life (1 Kings 19:3). Though he faced 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19) in a contest the day before, though he proved God told him to have the contest (1 Kings 18:36), though the people confessed the Lord was God (1 Kings 18:39), things did not turn out as he expected. The result: he was disappointed in himself (1 Kings 19:4).
Emphasize that a situation does not change unless the people in the situation change. Imposing rules that must be followed does not guarantee a faith that will guide. We want to build faith--only that is sufficient for the spiritual demands produced by any ungodly society.
Basically, God informed Elijah of two things: (1) God had 7000 who served Him that Elijah did not know about. (2) Elijah's responsibility was to do his work, and stop anticipating the Lord.
It is always a mistake to limit God to our desires and visions. God is at work even in those moments when we see nothing.
Christians deeply want God's influence to be the predominant influence in our nation and eventually in our world. Perhaps because we live in a nation that honors justice, champions human rights, loves freedom, and values the "underdog," we want heaven on earth in our nation soon. Increasingly, evidence declares this will not happen. Yet, we want it to happen so much that we want to "fix" those situations that prevent it from happening. Is something wrong in the congregation? Get spiritual and fix it! Is something wrong in society? Get political and fix it! Is something wrong in the world? Economically or scientifically, fix it!
It is impossible for us to produce heaven on earth. We do not serve God for the benefits of now but for the benefits of when we are with Him.
Let Elijah teach us who follow God through Christ two things. (1) Never limit God's works to the desires of our visions. (2) Our responsibility is to do what God grants us the ability to do.
When we do what we can, the results exceed our imagination. It is not what we can do, but what God can do through us. Following God in this world is not always fun--the experience of Jesus' cross was not a fun experience.
The issue is not, "Do I see where this is going?" The issue is, "Does God see where this is going?"
For Thought and Discussion:
We wish to be fixers. We want to make things occur or be what we want them to be.
No, that desire is not evil.
Not everyone wishes to be a godly person.
He lived and worked among the ten tribes that broke away from the nation and worshipped idols.
He assumed he was the only person faithful to God in the area.
He yearned to fix the situation and briefly thought he had when he won the contest with the prophets of Baal.
The fact that his fear of Jezebel's threat caused him to run disappointed him in himself.
They want heaven to exist now in our nation.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 9